


First Things First

by Writingwife83



Series: Sherlolly Week ‘17 [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Awkward Sherlock Holmes, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Post TFP, Romance, Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 13:44:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10923009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writingwife83/pseuds/Writingwife83
Summary: Sherlock has an elaborate plan to finally ask Molly out on a date, but he's taking his sweet time. Molly is becoming less and less patient and might just snap if he doesn't hurry up!





	First Things First

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted on tumblr for Sherlolly Appreciation Week Day 3's theme, "First Kiss."

Sherlock shoved the lift button aggressively. 

“Alright, relax,” John counseled. “The button didn’t pull Molly into an unexpected meeting.”

“It could have worked today, John! I could have done it!” Sherlock complained as the doors finally opened and they got in the lift. “It’s been almost three weeks now and I can’t understand why this is so difficult!”

“Maybe you’re making a bit more of this than you need to.” After receiving a glare, John put his hands up defensively and clarified. “No no, look, I’m not saying that asking Molly out isn’t a big deal. I’m just saying that maybe you need to put a bit less pressure on yourself to do it perfectly.”

“But I have a speech, John!”

“Right, yeah, I know.” John did his best not to laugh aloud. “But I think that you could possibly save a bit of the speech for another time. The actual invitation can be pretty concise.”

“There are things that need to be said, things she needs to know,” Sherlock insisted.

“Mate, I’m pretty sure the important bits were said in that phone call.” He laughed and shook his head. “You’ve got plenty of time to say lots of other things. Maybe on that date, if you’d just get her there!”

“Yes, but isn’t a question like this supposed to be…” He gestured inarticulately. “ _ Special  _ or something? I can’t very well just walk up to her and say, ‘Molly, will you have dinner with me?’”

John’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?  _ Dinner _ ?”

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “Oh, do grow up, Watson.”

John smirked in response. “Look, the rest of the world really does just come out and ask, but leave it to you to assume the norm isn’t good enough.”

“Yes, but that’s just it. Molly and I are not the norm, John! How many people confess their love over a phone call that was rigged by their brilliant psychopath of a sister simply for the purpose of playing a mind game? And now we’ve barely spoken of it in the weeks following!” Sherlock let out a little growl as they left the hospital. “I shouldn’t have let it go this long!”

“Yeah I have to agree with you there. Which is why you need to just come out with it, one way or another, and stop letting time fly by.”

“Right, fine,” Sherlock agreed with a sigh. “Maybe I’ll go back and edit what I’m going to say again. I might be able to shave off a few minutes.”

“Wow, a whole few minutes, eh?” John’s sarcasm was lost by Sherlock as he hailed a cab. 

Ten minutes later he heard a ping on his mobile and saw a text. Not too surprisingly, it was Molly.

HI, JOHN. LOOK, I HATE TO PUT YOU IN THE AWKWARD MIDDLE HERE, BUT PLEASE JUST TELL ME...IS HE GOING TO DO IT SOON?? -MH 

John had to pretend to look out the cab window for fear of revealing his barely contained laughter while answering the understandably impatient pathologist.

HE’S MAKING PROGRESS, SLOWLY BUT SURELY. DOING MY BEST TO SPEED THINGS ALONG! -JW

HOPING HE SPEAKS UP BEFORE I COMPLETELY SNAP...THANKS, JOHN. ;) -MH 

“What do you think, John?” Sherlock asked while looking intently at his phone screen. “Should I include the simile that compares the comfort of her flat to an oasis in a waterless region?”

John pressed his lips together for a moment before whispering to himself, “Yep, she’s gonna snap.”

* * *

 

Sherlock smiled to himself as Molly came back into the lab with the results he was looking for. He was sure he’d be able to manage a few minutes alone with her today. John was ready and waiting to take a walk on his signal, and there was only one other employee there at the moment and they were working on the other side of the room.

“Here you go,” Molly said with a sweet smile as she handed the papers to Sherlock.

“Thank you.” He made sure to graze her hand with his while taking them.

John conspicuously cleared his throat nearby.

This was probably a good moment, and Sherlock was seconds from telling John that “their work was nearly done for the day.” That was the previously agreed upon signal. Unfortunately, that was when Mike Stamford popped his head in.

“Oh, well hello there! Gosh, it’s been an age, hasn’t it?”

“Hey, Mike, how are you?” John asked warmly, though Sherlock caught the nervous glance from his friend who was very well aware that a wrench had just been thrown in the works.

“Good! And how are you? Been meaning to phone you since...everything.” His clapped a friendly hand on John’s shoulder. “Don’t think I’ve seen you since the funeral.”

“Well, y’know, things got a bit...mad for a while there. But it’s, um, not too bad now. You should see Rosie, she’s getting pretty big. Actually I’ve got some pictures on my phone-”

“John,” Sherlock interjected, using his friend’s name as a means of pleading for help as he observed the way that Molly stood by nervously chewing her lip.

John got the hint. “Right, um, actually I was just about to take a walk. Maybe if you’re going that way you could come along and I’ll show you the pictures.”

“Sure, in just a minute. I was actually coming to discuss something with Molly, so when I’m done here we could take a walk and catch up,” he said with a friendly smile while walking past him to where Molly stood.

John gave Sherlock an apologetic “I tried” look. 

It took a full fifteen minutes for Mike to finish his lengthy discussion with Molly about having her join in one of his class demonstrations. She seemed to be doing her best to speed the conversation along, agreeing to every idea and confirming her availability instantly. In fact, Sherlock was becoming more and more convinced that she might have some clue as to the fact that he was trying to manage a few minutes alone.

Finally, Mike began to slowly take his leave. “Glad to see you as well, Sherlock!”

“Mm, yes, you too,” Sherlock fired back with a quick smile, hoping not to spark any more conversation with the man.

“So why don’t we take that walk now. I’d really like a cuppa at the canteen right about now,” John said, following Mike to the door.

Sherlock glanced over slowly and he caught Molly’s eyes as the two men were moments from taking their leave. Their hope was rather quickly crushed though. The lab door swung open and Greg Lestrade came strolling in.

“Hey, Sherlock, I thought I might find you here!”

Sherlock was sure he heard a little huff come out of Molly’s mouth as she set a dish down rather forcefully.

“Greg, hello...bit busy at the moment.”

“Oh this won’t take long,” he said casually, walking over and taking a file out of his jacket. “Good you’re all here. I can tell you about the new case! Double homicide, looks like. I’m having the bodies brought here now.”

“Actually, Greg,” John attempted to jump in, still standing near the door with Mike. “Mike and I were just about to get some coffee. Want to come along and then we can all go over the case then?”

“Well we’re all here now, aren’t we?” Greg laughed while opening the file. “So these are some of the photos from the crime scene. And the two bodies…”

Sherlock clenched his teeth and gripped the edge of the table firmly as he half listened to what seemed like at most a level five case. Perhaps he could deal with this quickly. Get briefed about the case, send Greg away happy with John and Mike, and then finally be able to-

“My God, I can’t take it anymore!” Molly suddenly yelled, making all eyes snap to her. She turned to Greg who was staring at her wide eyed. “Are these people going to be any more dead than they already are if we go over these details after they’ve been brought in?”

Greg stammered a moment. “I, uh, well...no.”

“Right, good,” Molly stated as she reached over and closed his file and handed it back to him. “So you can meet us down in the morgue in a half hour once those poor people have arrived. And for now you can take a little stroll with John and Mike and enjoy hearing the latest about little Rosie while you all get coffee. And nobody is to come back here looking for Sherlock and I because  _ we need a few minutes alone so he can bloody ask me out!”  _

None of the men in the room could manage to pick their jaws up off the ground. The lab tech across the room actually raised his hand nervously.

“Yes, what?” Molly snapped at him.

“Sh-should I go too then?”

“Yes, please! Everybody out!”

John came to his senses first and assisted in herding the rest of them out the door. He lastly gave Sherlock a wide eyed and amused smile before stepping out and closing the door behind them. Sherlock cleared his throat before finally turning to Molly again and she smiled with an accompanying blush.

“Sorry, I just...thought I’d help a bit.”

The corner of Sherlock’s lips ticked up a bit and he realized that this was his chance now. Here they were, alone at last, and he could finally say what he so desperately needed to. In fact, she was  _ waiting  _ for it now. He cleared his throat again.

“Molly...er, there’s quite a bit that I’d like to...say.”

She gazed up at him with eager eyes, giving him a little nod of encouragement.

“I’ve given this significant thought, you see,” he went on, anxiety mounting as he slowly came to the realization that everything he’d given a lot of thought to was suddenly in a big fat jumble in his brain. “And I want to make sure to express things...just right.”

“Ok,” she breathed out, stepping a bit closer. 

“Right, so, the general idea…” Good God, her eyes were distracting. “Or rather, the key points would be...um…”  _ Say something, say something! _

But he wasn’t given the opportunity to make a further attempt. Molly grasped the lapels of his jacket to give him a bit of a downward tug, and then caught his lips with hers. 

The initial jolt of the unexpected kiss made him startle, but Molly didn’t back down. She anchored her arms around the back of his neck and slid her fingers into his hair while easily coaxing his lips apart. He sunk into their kiss after that, feeling a warm rush flood through him as his arms instinctively began to participate, encircling her and holding her tight. 

By the time she slowly pulled back and looked into his eyes, he felt like a pile of mush and could barely remember what it was that he was about to say a few moments ago. He could only really manage to make a few simple words to tumble from his tingling lips.

“Have dinner with me, Molly,” he murmured breathlessly.

Molly’s pink lips spread in a grin. “I thought you’d never ask.”

He had a moment of added mental clarity and spoke again. “Th-there really is quite a bit more to say though. Lots that I’d like to explain and-”

“Mm, me too. But why don’t we save that for now? We can spend lots of time talking at dinner, maybe tonight?” She curled her fingers tighter in his hair and lifted herself up a bit on her toes. “Let’s just do this first…”

  
  
  



End file.
